The Influence of Advertisement

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Recommended: Use of persuasion in advertising

It's a well-known fact that advertising plays a huge role in marketing and getting consumers to purchase a company's product. Often these advertisements subtly convey a message about how people should act or how they should live their lives, or prey on consumer's insecurities in order to appeal to them. Sometimes it is important to not just look at the literal meaning of the advertisement, but to look past that and see what the commercial is really telling you, or what the commercial is really selling. In their commercial titled “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”, in addition to literally selling their product, Old Spice™ is also selling the stereotypical idea of the perfect man, in addition to body image and confidence to their viewers.

The advertisement very cleverly disguises it's intent to convince men that they need to buy their product in order to be attractive by not addressing their target audience (men ages 16 and up) directly, instead using the wording “your man” to give the impression that the qualities and characteristics portrayed as well as the products used in the commercial are actually desired by their potential soul mate. This ingenious marketing tactic allows them to literally sell confidence, since they are convincing the viewers into believing that wearing Old Spice™ body wash is desired by that special someone they dream of, and it will increase their chances of meeting them. Of course, the advertisement is quick to poke fun at competing products, making them look inadequate by saying “If only your man was using Old Spice™ instead of lady's scented body wash”, which gives the viewer the idea that there is no alternative to using genuine Old Spice™ products.

In order to keep viewers entertained, so that t...

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...e™ is ensuring that their brand will be recognized by consumers, and increasing loyalty to their brand, in addition to getting free advertising on sites like YouTube because of word-of-mouth. Through their creative marketing, attention-getting advertising, and usage of body image in order to sell their product, Old Spice™ is reinforcing the stereotypical idea of the perfect man, preying on viewers’ insecurities about their body image, and, in addition to their physical product, they are also selling confidence to their viewers.

Works Cited

Hochschild, Arlie Russell. “From the Frying Pan into the Fire.” Making Sense Essays on Art, Science, and Culture. Eds. Bob Coleman, Rebecca Brittenham, Scott Campbell, et al. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006. 214-226. Print.

“Old Spice | The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” YouTube. 4 Feb. 2010. Web. 27 Sept. 2011.

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